Sipping Spiders Through a Straw: Campfire songs for monsters, lyrics by Kelly DiPucchio, pictures by Chris Grimly - review

Sipping Spiders Through a Straw: Campfire songs for monsters, lyrics by Kelly DiPucchio, pictures by Chris Grimly

I must admit that when I picked up this clever book, all I could hear in my mind was the 1980 Squeeze song "Pulling Mussels From the Shell." That would be one messed-up book: 80's pop songs reworded for Halloween. But sort of appropriate. Richard Butler of The Psychedelic Furs always looked kind of undead to begin with.

But the book. It's cute! Kids who love monsters will love it! Kids who love messing with song lyrics (and what kid doesn't, I ask you? Can anyone think of "Kawasaki lets the good times roll" without also hearing the filthy version too?) will love it. Fans of grody illustration will love it, and that includes all those grown boys who read the really gross graphic novels.

Dads who cannot keep themselves from singing in the car (that's you, baby, and also that's John The Boss, who laughed out loud when he read this book) will be pre-empted by their children whenever they start in with "Skinnamarink" (which we already have our own filthy version of) or "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall". Ha ha ha ha! We're driving 2600 miles in the next 3 weeks! I'm a little hysterical already!

This is the day! Adapted by Phillis Gershator, illustrated by Marjorie Priceman - review

This is the day! Adapted by Phillis Gershator, illustrated by Marjorie Priceman.
I don't always go for Marjorie Priceman's sort of Chagall-y work: I know it's meant to be gestural, but it often falls over the edge into slapdash for me.

But boy do her willowy women and 1950's wirework furniture work in this book, an adaptation of an old song that goes "Monday's the day we give babies away with half a pound of tea. Here comes a lady who wants a baby. 'I'll take this one,' says she..." It's an irresistible song, light-hearted and with an adoption theme, and the illustrations are sunny and swingy and the whole book just really works.

Besides the fact that a different song with the same title is one of my favorite songs of all time. ALL TIME. THE THE ROCKS, PEOPLE. (And oh my, wasn't Matt Johnson cute back when he had hair!)